Sanskrit Text in Telugu , Kannada, Gujarati, Devanagari, English

|| om tat sat||

Sundarakanda
Sarga 31

Tattvadipika
వైదేహ్యా వ్యాజహార హ!

This Sarga starts with the line,
"సంశ్రవే మధురం వాక్యం వైదేహ్యా వ్యాజహార హ !"
Here "హ" implies wonder and delight.
What is the cause of that delight?

To start with it is about "మధురం వాక్యం".
That is " wonderfully sweet lines"
The wonderful sweet lines is the story of Rama.
The great Vanara sang the story of Rama.
Whom did he address?
"వైదేహ్యా" , meaning the daughter of Videha king .
It also means one who is free from the body - 'deha'.

In the twenty eighth Sarga we hear from Sita. ,
"శీఘ్రం గమిష్యామి యమస్య మూలం",
meaning that she is ready to go to the abode of Yama, the Lord of death.
That Sita who lost her desire to live, has been given a life by this story of Rama.
.
Sita, whose name "వైదేహ్యా" means the one without longing for body,
has infact given up longing for the body.
That Sita is again made to look forward for reunion.
That is power of the story of Rama.
About Rama's story it is also said,
"మృతసంజీవనం రామ చరితం".
Meaning that the Rama's story is like nectar for a dying person.

The joy and sorrow come with prompting of the mind.
Normally the story is heard,
the pros and cons are weighed in the mind,
Then the mind prompts the body to experience the joy or sorrow.
Appalacharyulu garu says, that the story of Rama,
generates joy by just listening ,
without waiting for prompting of the mind.
That is the power of the story of Rama.

In the Sarga sixteen we hear that
"నైషా పశ్యతి రాక్షస్యః.. "(16.25).
"She does not see the Rakshasas"
That is the description of Sita by the poet.
He says Sita's mind is filled with thoughts of Rama.
So much so that she does not see the Rakshasas in front of her.
Nor does see the beautiful flowers and trees.

Hanuman sang the song , "వ్యాజహార", to that Sita.
So that she may hear about Rama.
The word "వ్యాజహర" has a root " అజహార" too.
"అజహార" means "brought' some thing?
What is that Hanuman brought to Sita ?
For the one who gave up longing for the body,
Hanuman brought back longing.
That is the other meaning of "అజహార" .

The Story of Rama brings back joy to Sita who gave up longing for the body.

Valmiki visualizing the scene of Hanuman singing such a song of power,
embraces the feelings of delight and wonder and utters "హ".

Thus the story of Rama is sung by Hanuman in pleasing tones..
It is a known story.
Even then it is worth listening.
So now we hear Hanuman singing the story of Rama.

'There was a king by name Dasaratha
who has many chariots elephants and horses,
who is steeped in merits,
who has great fame ,
who is illustrious among all Ikshvakus.
He is the most virtuous one among sage like kings.
He is equal to Rishis in performing penance.
He is equal in strength to Indra and is born in the dynasty of emperors'.

'Dasaratha is magnanimous, compassionate.
He is committed to non violence
He is one whose strength is truth.
As chief of Ikshvakus, he is an embodiment of wealth.
And he is a grower of wealth.
Endowed with signs of kingship, he is a bull among rulers,
known on the earth surrounded by the four oceans,
he is provider of happiness and is himself happy'.

' His eldest son and a dear one is named Rama.
He is one with the face like that of a moon,
a scholar of all knowledge,
best among all the wielders of bow.
The destroyer of all enemies,
he is a protector of righteousness,
protector of his people,
protector of all beings and the righteousness'

Here we hear a familiar sloka about Rama through Hanuman.

"రక్షితా స్వస్య ధర్మస్య స్వజనస్య రక్షితా
రక్షితా జీవలోకస్య ధర్మస్య చ పరంతపః"(31.7)

Rama is a protector of righteousness,
protector of his people,
protector of all beings and the righteousness

The sloka is familiar because it appeared in the first Sarga of Balakanda,
The first Sarga of Balakanda virtually tells the full story of Rama..

Rama's principal characteristic thus described is providing "protection".
Rama is an incarnation of the Supreme being.
A Supreme beings primary characteristic is protection.
In Gita we hear the following.
"యదా యదాహి ధర్మస్య గ్లానిర్భవతి భారతా ".
Supreme being is born again and again as a protector

As a king, Rama is a protector.
First is protection of his own duty.
Then he protects his own people.
Protection means removing the obstacles and fulfilling their needs.
This is the duty of the protector.

Third part of this characteristic is that he is also protector of all life.
He looks after the well being of all beings.
Protecting his own and neglecting other is not the creed .
That is - రక్షితా జీవలోకస్య .

Fourth part of his duty is ensuring that people are free
That is free to perform their duties.

Thus Ram was seen as providing fourfold protection.
As a Supreme being " Ram is a protector.
The principal characteristic of Supreme being is " protection"

The first sound of Sanskrit alphabet is 'అ'
'అ' is also another name for the Supreme Being. .
By "అవరక్షణే"in Siddhanta Kaumudi,
what we understand is that , "అ' is for protection.
'అ' is the first sound of the Sanskrit alphabet .
It is the starting point of all Sanskrit literature.
It is the other word for the Supreme Being.

This sloka is an elaboration,
Elaboration of the universal characteristic of the Supreme being.

While singing the story of Rama
Hanuman makes it a point to speak of Rama as a protector.
Hailing Rama as the protector of all beings in the universe
Hanuman is telling Sita that you will be saved from the sea of sorrows.

Hanuman continues the song of Rama's story.

'Honoring the word of his father who is ever steadfast in truth ,
he went to the forest along with his wife and his brother as a wanderer'.

'There in that great forest chasing animals,
he killed many Rakshasas who can take any form.
Then hearing about the killing of Rakshasas in Janasthana,
as well as the killing of Khara and Dushana,
Ravana abducted Sita out of anger,
having deceived Rama in the guise of a golden deer'.

'That Rama in search of blemish less Sita
found a friend by name Sugriva who is a Vanara.
Then the destroyer of foes and powerful Rama ,
gave the kingdom of Vanaras to Sugriva after killing Vali.
On the orders of Sugriva thousands of Vanaras
who are capable of assuming any form
went in search of Sita in all directions.

'In search of that wide eyed one ,
based on the words of Sampati ,
I have crossed the sea which is hundred Yojanas wide.
I have seen here a lady,
lady of of similar form,
similar complexion,
similar glow as described by Raghava'

Having said this Hanuman stops.

Hanuman's strategy can be seen.
Hanuman first narrates the part too familiar to Sita
and then adds the friendship of Vanaras,
the search for Sita etc which she is unaware of.
Thus increasing the credibility of the unknown story.

Hearing that story of Rama,
Janaki was also struck with wonder.
Looking all around, meditating on Rama , Sita was delighted.
Rama katha makes one delighted.

This is the story related by the best of Vanaras.
This is what we too hear in the thirty first Sarga

||om tat sat||